Verbena plant named ‘Wesverepea’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Verbena  plant named ‘Wesverepea’, characterized by its compact and mounding plant habit; vigorous growth habit; medium-sized leaves; freely flowering habit; and peach-colored flowers that are held above and beyond the foliar plane in rounded umbels.

Botanical designation: Verbena tenera.

Cultivar denomination: ‘WESVEREPEA’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Verbena Plant Named ‘Wesvereme’. Applicant: Heinrich Westhoff. Filed: Concurrently with this application, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/587,420. Title: Verbena Plant Named ‘Wesverevoo’. Applicant: Heinrich Westhoff. Filed: Concurrently with this application, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/587,421.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena plant, botanically known as Verbena tenera, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Wesverepea’.

The new Verbena plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Verbena plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Verbena plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in April, 2004 in Südlohn, Germany of a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena tenera identified as code number 04P104, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena tenera identified as code number 04P212, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Verbena plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany in August, 2005.

Asexual reproduction of the new Verbena plant by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany since 2005 has shown that the unique features of this new Verbena plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Verbena have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Wesverepea’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Wesverepea’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena:

-   -   1. Compact and mounding plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Medium-sized leaves.     -   4. Freely flowering habit.     -   5. Peach-colored flowers that are held above and beyond the         foliar plane in rounded umbels.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena are not as compact as plants of the         female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena have smaller leaves than plants of         the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Verbena have larger flowers than plants of         the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena have denser inflorescences with         more flowers per inflorescence than plants of the male parent         selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena and the male parent selection         differ in flower color as plants of the male parent selection         have plum-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the Verbenas ‘Wesvereme’ and ‘Wesverevoo’ in flower color as plants of ‘Wesvereme’ have dark red purple-colored flowers and plants of ‘Wesverevoo’ have red-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the Verbena ‘Wesverrose’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,671. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Südlohn, Germany, plants of the new Verbena differed primarily from plants of ‘Wesverrose’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena were more mounding than plants of         ‘Wesverrose’.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena had shorter internodes than plants         of ‘Wesverrose’.     -   3. Plants of the new Verbena had smaller flowers than plants of         ‘Wesverrose’.     -   4. Plants of the new Verbena and ‘Wesverrose’ differed in flower         color as plants of ‘Wesverrose’ had light red purple-colored         flowers.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the Verbena ‘Roccoco Double Peach’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Südlohn, Germany, plants of the new Verbena differed primarily from plants of ‘Roccoco Double Peach’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Verbena were not as compact as plants of         ‘Roccoco Double Peach’.     -   2. Plants of the new Verbena had longer internodes than plants         of ‘Roccoco Double Peach’.     -   3. Plants of the new Verbena had larger flowers than plants of         ‘Roccoco Double Peach’.     -   4. Plants of the new Verbena and ‘Roccoco Double Peach’ differed         in flower shape as plants of ‘Roccoco Double Peach’ had         double-type flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Verbena plant, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Verbena plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Wesverepea’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Südlohn, Germany in a glass-covered greenhouse during the summer and under conditions which closely approximate commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 25° C., night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 18° C. and light levels ranged from 3,000 to 50,000 lux. Plants were 30 weeks old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Verbena tenera ‘Wesverepea’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena tenera identified as code number 04P104, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena tenera identified as code number 04P212, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 14 to 18 days at 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About 21 to 26 days at 18°             C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous, medium in thickness; color, close             to 158A.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense to dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Initially upright, then compact and mounding             growth habit; freely branching habit with two lateral             branches potentially forming at every node; pinching             enhances lateral branch development; dense and bushy plant             habit; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 25 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 64 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 28 cm to 56 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm to 2.7 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 2.4 cm.         -   Texture.—Densely pubescent.         -   Color.—Close to 144A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 4.3 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.1 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Dentate to crenate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Densely pubescent.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137B.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 147A; venation,             close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 147C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and habit.—Salverform flowers arranged in             hemispherical terminal umbels; umbels dense and mounding;             numerous umbels covering the entire plant; flowers face             upward or outward; freely flowering habit with about 18 to             29 flowers per inflorescence.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower continuously from             April until frost in the fall in Germany; plants begin             flowering about 12 to 14 weeks after planting.         -   Flower longevity.—Flowers last about two weeks on the plant;             flowers not persistent.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.5 cm. Height: About             2.7 cm.         -   Flowers.—Appearance: Flared trumpet, corolla fused,             five-parted; sessile. Length: About 2.9 cm. Diameter: About             1.8 cm. Tube length: About 2 cm. Throat diameter: About             2.1 mm. Tube diameter, base: About 1.7 mm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Shape: Oblong. Color: Towards the apex, close to 35A to 35C;             mid-section and base, close to 145C.         -   Corolla.—Arrangement: Single whorl of five fused petals.             Petal lobe length: About 9 mm. Petal lobe width: About 9 mm.             Petal lobe shape: Cordate. Petal lobe apex: Emarginate.             Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Color: Petal, when             opening, upper surface: Close to 39A. Petal, when opening,             lower surface: Close to 37B to 37C. Petal, fully opened,             upper surface: Close to 37A, color becoming closer to 33D,             36A and 49A with development; at the center, close to 145A             to 145B. Petal, fully opened, lower surface: Close to 38C,             color becoming closer to 33A to 33B, 36D and 49C with             development. Throat: Close to 145D. Tube: Close to 145C.         -   Calyx.—Arrangement: Star-shaped calyx with five fused             sepals. Sepal length: About 1.3 cm. Sepal width: About             3.25 mm. Sepal shape: Lanceolate. Sepal apex: Acute. Sepal             margin: Entire. Sepal texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Pubescent; velvety. Sepal color, upper surface: Close to             146A to 146D. Sepal color, lower surface: Close to 146A to             146B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 4.3 cm to 6.4 cm. Diameter: About             1.6 mm. Strength: Strong; wiry. Texture: Pubescent. Color:             Close to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Four per             flower, adnate to corolla tube. Anther shape: Two-parted;             ovate. Anther length: About 1.4 mm. Anther diameter: About             1.4 mm Anther color: Close to N144A. Pollen amount: Scarce.             Pollen color: Close to 1A. Pistils: Quantity: One per             flower. Pistil length: About 2 cm. Stigma shape: Ovate.             Stigma color, immature and mature: Close to 146A. Style             length: About 1.3 cm. Style color: Close to 145D. Ovary             color: Close to 146B. Seeds: Length: About 5.2 mm. Diameter:             About 1.2 mm. Color: Close to 197A. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Verbena have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 5° C. to about 30° C. -   Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Verbena have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Verbenas. 

1. A new and distinct Verbena plant named ‘Wesverepea’ as illustrated and described. 